The story of the paralytic is common. We usually think of the paralytic and the bed. The roof and the four friends come in later. So much that we usually design sermons around the “your sins are forgiven” and “rise, pick up your bed and go home.” Yet, St. Mark 2:1-12 contains a very important Christian value called friendship.
The four friends in St. Mark 2:3-4 who carry the bed of their friend and who, when they realise the crowd is too much to enter via the door of the house, lower the bed through the roof and they are a prime example of Christian friendship. The friends expressed their deep friendship in being creative, ingenious, sincere and risk taking. They are not concerned about themselves but about the welfare of their friend.
How many times have we prevented ourselves from going to a hospital or visiting a doctor? The reasons may be many but reality is that we will postpone it as much as possible and even delay it till it is so serious. But when it comes to our family and friends, we become very interested in taking them to the hospital. Even though personal interest in our health would be desirable, we end up showing more interest in another person we value.
This is what happens in the miracle story. Even though the paralytic needed a cure and healing, that doesn’t mean that the four men were healthy beyond any need for cure. But they keep aside their needs and take a risk for a friend. This lent, we should think whether we can be one of those friends? Whether we can carry one of the legs of the bed? We should also think whether we have a friend who will take us to a hospital whenever the need arises. Friendship as a Christian value is to look after another before looking looking after oneself. May our lent offer us the opportunity to be a friend and to have friends. Amen.
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